Day #49

Please do everything you can not rush this time today!  Slow down.

Give thanks to God this morning and talk to Him.

Read James 4:3.

Yesterday we learned a serious amount about what causes fights, quarrels, and murder among Christians.  Do you remember what causes these things?

That’s right!  The war within our hearts!

At the very core of this war within us is the issue of COVETING… desiring something you don’t have (thought) and then actively pursuing the thing you don’t have but never being able to get it (action).
 

“Though shalt not covet” is the last of God’s 10 commandments, but if it is broken, all of the other 9 will be broken as well.  Covetousness can make a person murder, tell lies, gossip, slander, dishonor their parents, have sex outside of marriage, and in one way or another violate all of God’s moral laws for us.

NOTE: Remember two things.

1.    God’s standards are so high that even hating someone in your heart is considered murder to Him. 

2.    Lying can be done by telling a straight out lie with your words or by withholding the truth.  If you lead someone to believe something that is not true, in whatever way, it is still a lie.

This war with in our hearts has two results…

1.    Wrong Actions:  This issue of covetousness starts in the heart and then moves into our actions.  It courses like a cancer among the people we come in contact with.  This is devastating to our Christian circles.

2.    Wrong Praying: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on YOUR pleasures,” (James 4:3 NIV).  When our praying is wrong, our whole Christian life is wrong.  The purpose of prayer is not getting what we want done, but getting what God wants done.

Ultimately, selfish living and selfish praying will always lead to war.  In other words if there is war on the inside there WILL be war on the outside.

Characteristics of those who have war raging within them…

-         Always seem unhappy

-         Don’t seem to enjoy life

-         Instead of being thankful for the blessings they do have, they are complaining about what they don’t have.

-         They don’t get along with other people because they are always envying others for what they have and do.

-         They are always looking for the “magic something” that will change their lives, when the real problem is within their own hearts.

Exert from Wiersbe Commentary

Whoa, wait a minute…before we start looking at others, let’s look at ourselves.  Do we have any of these symptoms?  Talk to God about it right now. 

Instead of seeking God’s will, do you sometimes tell God what He is supposed to do, and then get angry with Him if He does not obey?  Talk to God about it right now.

TARGET of the DAY

Click on 1 John 5:14-15.

Click on Ephesians 5:17.

This passage of scripture does not mean that we have to somehow see into the future and know what God wants to happen and then pray for that.  That would be impossible!  What this passage means is that if we pray in line with what we have found is pleasing to God in scripture, we are praying according to His will.

Click on Matthew 6:9-13.

Day #48

Wow!  We are finally in James 4!!  Only two more chapters and we will be finished!

Thank you God for showing us each day more and more of who you are.

James 4:1-12 will be on “warnings about worldliness.”  Sometimes we can blend in so well with whatever is going on, that no one really knows that we are a child of God.  We are to be doers of the Word of God, not participants in ungodly behavior.   

Are we willing to make a situation uncomfortable by standing up for Christ and doing what we know would please Him?  Sometimes sacrificing being liked and making others upset, is exactly what is needed to get others moving in the same direction.  Are you willing??  There may be a need to confess your wrong actions to others to have healing in a group of believers.  Are you willing?

As you read today, please remember that James is talking to Christians.  This could be in the setting of your church, your family, your friends, your school, etc.

Remember what we learned yesterday?  We were learning about how God desires peace among his children (Christians).  We are called to be peacemakers.  Read Psalm 133:1.

Please read James 4:1-2.

James gives two descriptions of what causes fights among Christians?

- We desire something that we do not have.

- We actively seek to have something we can't get.

These two descriptions sound alike but they are a tad different in my mind.  One is just a thought of something that we want but it is not available to us.  The other is actively pursuing this thing and never being able to obtain it.   This is a terrible battle within us.

James says battles within the heart of a believer will result in fighting, quarreling, and murder among Christians.  Murder??  This where we must remember that God’s standards are so high, that even if we just have hatred in our heart toward someone, we have killed them in God’s eyes.  Wow!  Read James 3:14, 16.  

Did you know that the Bible is full of people who had a battle in their heart and it led to destruction?

-         Eve disobeyed God because she wanted to eat of the tree and become wise like God.

-         Abraham lied about his wife because he selfishly wanted to save his own life (click Genesis 12:10-20).

-         Achan caused defeat to Israel because he selfishly took some forbidden loot from the ruins of Jericho (click Joshua 7).

See??  “We have turned, each of us, to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6).

Now, read James 4:2 one more time.

Do you notice what James ends this verse with?  James is not saying that simply praying and asking God for selfish desires that you will be granted them.  Quite the opposite!!  He is simply saying that when you bring your desires to God, your desires will be purified because God will expose the selfishness and foolishness within you. Which is good!!

Tomorrow we will learn more about praying and receiving!! 

TARGET of the DAY

Bring all your desires to God in prayer today, both righteous and selfish.  Sometimes we only want to say the right things to God in prayer, as if He does not already know about the selfish things in our hearts too.  I challenge you to be real with Him today.   Talk to Him about it several times if you want.  All day long if you want.  Tell Him everything. Tell Him about whatever you are angry or hurt about.  Leave it all there at His feet.

Day #47

Lord, thank you for loving us and drawing us to you.  Without you, we have nothing.  You are an amazing God!

Read James 3:17-18.

Yesterday we learned about all the chaos and disorder that comes from living a life that is known for bitter jealousy and selfish ambition.

Bitter jealousy- resentment over something someone else has; constant competition to get what someone else has at all cost.

Selfish ambition- self-seeking and always looking out for one’s own interests above the interests of others; this is all done through trickery or deception (leading others to believe what is not true).

We also learned how when we live with these two characteristics it leads others to do the same… the end result being fighting and destruction in the body of believers (which could be your family, your friends, your church, your youth group, etc.).

NOTE:  Please keep in mind that bitter jealousy and selfish ambition can be quietly done or “in your face” bold.  But they all carry the same result… instability and crumbling in the body of believers.

As Christ-followers, we will never be able to continue like this and have contentment.  Thank you Jesus!! 

He has given us an escape from this ungodly way of life in James 3:17-18.  What do these verses tell us to do?

We must seek wisdom from above!  When we talk to God about our sin and seek His ways, he starts producing qualities in us that are so opposite of the above…

1.    Purity, or blamelessness

-please read Matthew 5:9, Galatians 5:22, Hebrew 12:11

2.    Galatians 5:22-23 “Fruits of the Spirit”

-loving

-Joyful

-peaceful

-patient

-kind

-good

-full of faith

-self-controlled

-gentle

          … for the heart of heaven beats this way.

The fruit that comes from being a peacemaker in the Christian community will be righteous behavior.  Another way to describe righteous behavior would be “behavior pleasing to God.”   God says that he will bless this way of life.

TARGETs of the DAY

Listen to Steven Curtis Chapman’s song Heart Beat of Heaven.  This song helps me to remember what the fruits of the spirit are.  Ask God to continue building these qualities in you.
Also, talk to someone today about Jesus and what He is doing in your life.

Day #46

Begin this morning with a praise song…

Here I am to Worship

Yesterday we learned about bitter jealousy and selfish ambition and how these two characteristics are opposite of what God calls us to be, which is MEEK (gentle)… see Day #45.  God was communicating to us in James 3:14, that if we are wrapped up in any jealousy or selfish ambition that we are trying to compete with God and we will cause division among believers.    

What??  But how could my jealousy and selfish desires cause division?  Because a life marked by these characteristics is false to the TRUTH of GOD.  The envy of others and promoting of “you” will lead others in this same pursuit for their lives.  That is scary.  You may say, “You mean that my sin can cause others to sin as well?”  Sure it can.

Remember us talking in earlier lessons about how this Bible you read is not just about you.  It is also about those you will come in contact with in this life.    You must remain close to the Father, but also recognize where you are competing with Him.  Oh, and a side note, you will not win.  Praise Jesus!

Read James 3:15-16.

GOD’s WISDOM has nothing to do with bitter jealousy and self-promotion.

Bitter jealousy and selfish ambition are…

1.    Earthly

2.    Unspiritual

3.    Demonic

The root, or the beginning, of these evil characteristics is DARKNESS.  And before you start conjuring up names of people who are jealous and selfish, let me tell you… everyone has been involved in this and still may be… even the young Christian girl at the private Christian school.

If you are a part of a Christian group of people who desire to be like Jesus Christ (your family, your church, your youth group, etc.), and you are living in jealousy and self-promotion, you are going to cause this group to divide and crumble.  These characteristics make bodies of believers everywhere unstable (see James 1:8) and restless (see James 3:8).

What kinds of things are you involved in that you use as an excuse for not spending time with Him and/or obeying Him.  What kinds of thoughts course through you mind that are rooted in jealousy.  Guess what?  If there is even a little of the above, you and I are living in competition with God.  But, PRAISE GOD, we won’t win!!  Thank you so much God for never letting us win!!

So, YES, your sin does affect others.  Never forget this.  Start asking God to show you where these characteristic could be in your life.  When He shows you, tell Him you recognize it and ask Him to show you how to turn away from it.

TARGET of the DAY

Write the following verse down and post it in strategic places and start memorizing it today.

James 4:7.  “Obey God. Stand up to the devil. He will run away from you. “ NIRV

Day #45

Close your eyes and try to imagine a water spigot and a bucket.  If you were trying to fill the bucket with water, where would you place bucket to do that?  That’s right!  You would place it under the spigot.

God’s SPECIAL power from Day 43 and Day 44 can be viewed much the same way.  The power to live a life that is pleasing to God, on a day such as today, comes from placing yourself in the right spot, under God, to receive the blessing of His power.

A few things we must do each day is to confess our wrongs (even as they happen) and turn away from them (confess and repent).  The other thing is to sing praises to Him.  Heaven will be full of singing!  So why should our lives here on earth be any different.

Let’s start our time just like this…

Click on Our God is Greater.

Read James 3:14.

Remember from Day 44’s lesson that God wants us to be described as meek?  In the Bible, meekness is described as gentle.  Well, in verse 14 we see two things that are the opposite of meek.  What are they?

1.

2.

Bitter jealousy means that you are deeply longing for something that is not yours. 

Selfish ambition is self promotion.  It is all about “me.”  What can I do to let others see “me” and what “I” can do. 

The characteristics of bitter jealousy and selfish ambition are far different from the righteous characteristics of our God.   But, did you know that God can be described as a “jealous God?”  We know what our jealousy looks like, but what about God’s.

Read…    Exodus 10:3-5

Exodus 34:14

Deuteronomy 4:24

James 4:5

Do you notice a pattern?  God wants our relationship with Him to be exclusive, not allowing anything else to take its place.  His deepest desire is for this to be true of us.

God’s jealousy is longing for something that is rightly His… the praise, honor, loyal devotion, and adoration of His people.  He will not compete with our selfishness and excuses.

How about you?  Are there things in your life that take the place of obeying Him, spending time with Him, or living in such a way that there is absolutely no mistaking you to be a Christ follower?  Get under the spigot of God’s power to get rid of these things.  Live out what you have learned today… talk to God about your sin, turn from the sin, and sing praises to Him.

TARGET of the DAY

All of us, from time to time, can have many excuses for not obeying God, spending time with God, and living a life that has God written all over it.  We can also live like we are the god we worship… advertising ourselves instead of Him.  There are some hard decisions to be made.  Giving up things is hard.  What is he calling you to give up that is taking the place of Him?  He will never put up with being part of a schedule or an option in your day.

Day #44

Good Morning!!  So excited to share this study with you today:D

My prayer for you and I today, is that we all know each day, how good God is.  I am asking Him to bring us all to a place where we can see Him in all things, even the small things, and be AMAZED!

Yesterday we ended the study with a scripture to prepare us for today.  Do you remember what it was?  It was Psalm 138:6.

If you are like me, when you first read it, you are like, “Okay??  I know this is God’s Word, so it must be saying something good.  But, uhh, what does it mean exactly?”  Well today, I hope that we will all have our eyes opened and really say, “Ahhh, I get it.  I know what it means!”

Stop for a few seconds, and ask God to have mercy on you and to begin helping you see things differently… like how God sees.

The first thing we need to know is that God is omnipresent.  Omnipresent means that God is everywhere, all the time, in all His fullness.  When I say everywhere, I literally mean everywhere!!  With the Christian, with the unbeliever, and even all the way to the bird that falls from the tree…

          “…But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.”  Matthew 10:29.

The second thing we need to know is that when a person chooses to become a believer/follower of Jesus Christ, not only will they know the omnipresence of God, but they will also know the Holy Spirit presence too.  Believers receive the Holy Spirit in their hearts when they choose Christ. This type of presence makes the believer uncomfortable with their sin and helps them know how to live in a way that pleases God.  Whether they do it or not, is up for question.

Now let’s stop and camp out here for just a moment.  As a believer, you have the Holy Spirit presence of God, right?  Yes!  But hold up, there is still one more type of presence.

Now read Psalm 138:6 one more time.  Notice the wording?

          “For the though the Lord is high, He regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from afar.”

Our God is MAGNIFICENT!  Even in all His splendor, he has an even more SPECIAL PRESENCE for believers that are humble or lowly.  These believers know they are small, God is big, and they like it!!  Their humility draws the SPECIAL PRESENCE of the LORD.  This type of presence is extremely powerful!  God’s love radiates through these humble, ordinary people, to everyone they come across.  Even in the roughest of situations, God's love just overflows off of these people onto everyone around them, even the idiots that don't deserve it!!  They are an amazing giver of God’s mercy.  Their focus is Him being center stage, them being an unnoticed stage-hand, AND THEY LIKE IT!!!

But, those Christians that are proud, self-promoting, haughty, lofty, arrogant, uppish, snobby (generally living life their own way and as if He does not exist), God will not be close to.  He will resist them.  He will not bless them.  He will see them from afar.  None of their ways of doing things will work out.  He will never allow them to continue a life like this, because if He did He would be contributing to their sin, and GOD DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE TO SIN! 

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Before we start thinking of who is proud and who is humble, take a look at yourself.  As believers, we all will come in and out of these conditions from time to time… lowly then haughty… prideful then arrogant.

I bring this up because we need to see where the uncomfortable, irritating sensations we discussed in yesterday's lesson come from.  They come from the Lord!  He allows our soul to be disturbed and aggravated because we are not living in a way that is pleasing to Him.

You may ask, well how do I get right with God?  Ask God to show you your pride.  When He does, come clean with it.  Tell Him specifically what you know is the sin.  Don’t have even the words to say??  Fumble through them, but still say them, out loud!  Ask Him to help you out of it in whatever way necessary!  He will.  He will show you a way out!  He will be your escape!  This won’t be easy.  OBEYING is required!

TARGET of the DAY

Obey God today with what you have learned.  Yesterday has already passed, so there is nothing you can do about it.  “Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries…”  Matthew 6:34.

Stay focused on today only.

Day #43

So excited to open up God’s Word with you and share this time together!!!

I ask that you would pray right now, yes seriously stop reading beyond this paragraph, and ask that the HOLY SPIRIT would guide what we would learn today.

When I read God’s Word each day, it can be a great comfort to me.  It warms me and encourages me to continue, especially in times of hurt and when I am faced with the HORRID things that go on this world. 

Reading God’s Word can also be, in times of PRIDE, a time where I do something DISGUSTING and DESPICABLE.  In all my filth, I apply what I am reading or learning to everyone else but me.  I immediately think of ways that I can use the WORD I have read as a weapon to condemn someone or shame them.

Finally, reading God’s Word can also be annoying to me… like a little tiny rock in my shoe that I just can’t seem to get out… like that little piece of price tag still left in a piece of clothing and it is rubbing your skin raw, but you just can’t find where it is??  Get what I am saying?  Ha, Ha!  Let me explain.  Sometimes the Word makes me uncomfortable.    

The Word makes me uncomfortable in two separate and distinct ways.  First, the discomfort I feel may be over something that I know I have done and then I have to become SELFLESS and go confess and make right my wrong.  In other words, the sin is clear and the way of making it right is clear.  I just have to be obedient and do it.  But, there is another discomfort that overtakes me from time to time.  This is where you know something is not right, but you aren’t sure what it is.  Eventually I come to know what it is, but feel powerless to stop it or clueless where to even begin the process of repenting (turning away from it). 

Some actions we have are highly ingrained in us because we have been doing them for so long we don’t know any different.  BUT, as a follower of Christ He will never allow us to stay in the condition we are in.  “He disciplines those that He loves” Hebrews 12:6.   

The way I see it, we have two choices…

1.    We can ignore this discomfort by looking to one of the many things we have in life to numb ourselves like hobbies, friends, TV, internet, etc.  We can ignore it by running from it.  We can even be “in your face” defiant like a child who spits in the face of his parent.  But, if we are a Christ follower, God will NOT ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE.  Again, He disciplines those that He loves (Hebrews 12:6).  He is faithful to not leave us in the condition we are in!!  Yay!!

2.    We can ask God to reveal what the issue is and ask Him to make clear to us what needs to happen next in the process of turning away from it.

TARGET of the DAY

I stopped our study in James today, because we are learning so much that sometimes it can be overwhelming or maybe not taken seriously.  Sometimes what we are learning can be so heavy, we don’t take time to really think on it and allow change to take place.  Begin asking God to help your heart pay attention to that ANNOYING and IRRITATING thing.  Talk to Him.

I have good news!!  There is HOPE in all the irritation!!  To prepare for the hope… read Psalm 138:6.

“Though the Lord is great, he cares for the humble;

He keeps His distance from the proud.”   

We will study this HOPE tomorrow!!